Samsung has found itself in hot water in Taiwan with fair trade officials after allegations surfaced that the company hired students to post false, critical reviews of HTC products online.

Samsung, for its part, has stated that the "unfortunate incident" goes against the "fundamental principles" of the company.

If Samsung is found guilty of false advertising, it and its local advertising agency could face fines of up to 25 million Taiwanese dollars. A Fair Trade Commission spokesperson said that the investigation began after a series of complaints were received against Samsung.

More fuel was added to the fire when a Taiwanese website posted documents that allegedly show Samsung had been recruiting students to anonymously offer praise for Samsung devices on the internet and simultaneously criticize HTC offerings.

Samsung's legal troubles with false advertising aren’t the only false advertising allegations the company is fighting. LG sued Samsung in South Korea over claims of false advertising. In that case, Samsung countersued LG for $45 million.

Samsung was also fined in Taiwan earlier this year over misleading advertisements having to do with specifications for the camera on the Galaxy Y Duo.

quote: 3. I think it's fair to say that Samsung is not generally well liked by the Korean people, who are outraged, for example, at the high prices the company charges in local markets for their products ("we are all Samsung "patsies" Korean:??, goes the frequent online lament). As brands go, I suspect LG is far more favored emotionally. And, while it's easy as outsiders to make Samsung into a mirror of Korea, I would urge caution. Do Wall Street institutions such as Goldman Sachs and CNBC really represent, for example, the essence of U.S? Sadly, in some manner, yes, but in the most important ways, I believe, no. So, too, Samsung. As an outsider who speaks Korean living here, I am continue to be amazed at the good people, extraordinary culture, and vibrant energy toward building a better future that I see here daily. It's a great place, generally, and using Samsung is a sad way to judge it.